Feed grains, such as barley, oats, corn, wheat, milo and others, for feeding cattle are typically processed to aid in their digestion as well as to increase the intake of nutrients. Such processing usually takes the form of rolling the feed grain into flakes after softening the grain through moisture uptake. Numerous commercial products are available which assist moisture uptake prior to steam assisted or dry rolling to reduce the cost of the processing and to increase the moisture uptake prior to rolling. The increase in moisture uptake is desirable so as to allow the production of thinner, higher volume flakes to be produced during the rolling process.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,653 to Fults et al. discloses an acidic aqueous solution containing lignosulfonate and a wetting agent for breaking down the relatively hard waxy coating of the grain so as to provide accelerated penetration of the solution into the endosperm of the grain for improved starch gelatinization and nutrient utilization when the feed grain is subjected to mechanical processes, such as rolling or flaking.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,653 to Mommer is directed to a grain conditioner composition for application to a mass of whole kernel grain so as to prepare the grain kernels before steam-rolling or flaking of the grain kernels. The composition of the Mommer patent is an aqueous mixture of liquid lecithin, and a mold-inhibitor food grade acid, such as propionic acid, which is capable of reducing the pH of the lecithin and thus permitting the lecithin to become water dispersable. It is indicated in the Mommer patent that the propionic acid penetrates the waxy coating of the grain and lecithin reduces surface tension of water so as to increase the penetration of moisture into the grain. The lecithin serves as a lubricant to adapt the grain kernel mass to flow more freely without bridging and to reduce friction on the grain when the grain is later processed by rolling to produce flakes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,766 to Goodall is directed to a grain conditioning mixture for increasing water intake of the grain so as to improve gelatinization and digestibility. The grain conditioning mixture is Yucca extract containing sarsaponin mixed with propylene glycol and water. The grain conditioning composition of the Goodall patent is preferably used in combination with known grain conditioners, such as the products known by the trade marks of E-Z FLAKE.TM., which is the trademark for the product made in accordance with the Mommer patent; TEMPER, which is the trademark for the product made in accordance with the Fults patent; and SUPER KEM-FLAKE. These three trademark products which are described in the Goodall patent are all acid based.
From the foregoing discussion of the prior art, it is readily seen that it has been thought in the grain processing industry that an acid based conditioner is required to cause moisture to penetrate into the grain kernel. The acid based compositions of the prior art include surfactants and the acid is thought to be necessary to cause the surfactant to act on the moisture to reduce the surface tension of the moisture and to cause moisture to penetrate the grain kernel.
It is a surprising result of the present invention that a nonionic surfactant can be caused to reduce surface tension of water and to penetrate grain kernels in a highly basic solution. The use of a nonionic surfactant in a highly basic solution offers numerous advantages over prior art grain conditioning compositions. There is less corrosion of equipment used in grain processing and there are cost advantages in the use of nonionic surfactants and basic materials, as compared to the use of acid components in the prior art grain conditioning compositions.